corrie

American  

[kawr-ee, kor-ee] / ˈkɔr i, ˈkɒr i /

noun

Scot.

1. a circular hollow in the side of a hill or mountain.

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corrie British  

/ ˈkɒrɪ /

noun

1. geology another name for cirque

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Etymology

Origin of corrie

First recorded in 1785–95, corrie is from the Scots Gaelic word coire cauldron, whirlpool, hollow

Explanation

A corrie is a bowl-shaped indentation in the side or top of a mountain. Corries are formed by glaciers, and they often turn into small lakes over time as they fill with water. Another name for a corrie is a cirque. These landforms are commonly described as "natural amphitheaters," based on their round, concave shape. It takes glacial ice flowing in different directions to gradually carve a corrie from mountain rock. The deep basin then catches any melting water and forms a lake known as a tarn. Corrie comes from the Scottish Gaelic coire, "pot or cauldron."

Example Sentences

The Sphinx lies in Garbh Choire Mor, a hollow known as a corrie formed by ice or a glacier during the last ice age.

From BBC • Oct. 8, 2022

After following a five-pointer stag for over four hours, they had it trapped in a corrie.

From Time Magazine Archive

The bellowing of red deer comes from a neighbouring corrie, and a herd of roe are browsing on the confines of the scrub.

From The Confessions of a Poacher by Anonymous

Every cliff and crag and jagged peak had its crown of snow, and every corrie, glen, and gorge its drifted shroud.

From Ungava by Ballantyne, R. M. (Robert Michael)

But though she wasted no breath in sighs over the retraced cultus corrie, neither did she in the mockery that had tantalized Clara in the beginning.

From Told In The Hills by Ryan, Marah Ellis